DeBord says Vols making second-half adjustments

Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 10/3/15. UT quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) gets sacked by Arkansas's Tevin Beanum (97) during the fourth quarter of play on October 3, 2015. The Volunteers lost to the Razorbacks 20-24 at home in Neyland Stadium late Saturday evening.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 10/3/15. UT quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) gets sacked by Arkansas's Tevin Beanum (97) during the fourth quarter of play on October 3, 2015. The Volunteers lost to the Razorbacks 20-24 at home in Neyland Stadium late Saturday evening.
photo Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 10/3/15. UT quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) gets sacked by Arkansas's Tevin Beanum (97) during the fourth quarter of play on October 3, 2015. The Volunteers lost to the Razorbacks 20-24 at home in Neyland Stadium late Saturday evening.

KNOXVILLE -- Tennessee's offense encountered second-half struggles in losses to Oklahoma and Arkansas.

Offensive coordinator Mike DeBord doesn't believe a lack of adjustments were the reason why.

The Volunteers managed just 93 yards of offense in the second half and overtime of the defeat to the Sooners last month and just 90 yards in Saturday's night defeat against the Razorbacks.

In its three losses, Tennessee has been outgained 615-348 after halftime.

"We've adjusted in the second half, and we've had things that have been there," DeBord said after Tuesday's practice. "We just haven't as executed as well in the second half as we have in the first. Those are the little things we're working on right now."

Arkansas dominated the ball in the second half of its 24-20 win. Tennessee managed just four possessions and 24 plays in the second half of that loss, but the Vols struggled to generate first downs. Field position didn't help, as Tennessee started inside its own 15-yard line three times.

Tennessee, third in the SEC in rushing, ran for just 133 yards against the Hogs and finished with just 4 yards in the second half.

photo Staff Photo by Dan Henry / The Chattanooga Times Free Press- 10/3/15. UT's Jalen Hurd (1) pushes his way through the Arkansas defense during the second quarter of play on October 3, 2015. The Volunteers played the Razorbacks at home in Neyland Stadium late Saturday evening.

The Vols struggled to block the Arkansas front, and the Razorbacks adjusted their defense after running backs Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara found room in the first half on edge runs.

"Just little things here and there that we've got to clean up fundamentally," DeBord said. "They made a change-up on their alignment in one of our formations, so we changed up our play, and that play ended up working well. We're making adjustments, too."

Hurd turned 22 touches in 141 yards against Arkansas, but he got just four carries and six touches in the second half as Tennessee sputtered its way to a third loss.

"I think that's a good point. We've got to keep feeding him," DeBord said. "That's legitimate. We've got to continue to work to get him the ball. The biggest thing I was really working to do in the second half was to continue to mix the run and the throws and not get one-sided.

"We called runs with what we call run adjustments, which are bubbles and things like that. Sometimes he might have been getting the ball, but he didn't get the ball because of the defensive look and we kicked it out to the receiver. Sometimes that was happening, too."

Contact Patrick Brown at pbrown@timesfreepress.com.

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